Kenta Maeda hasn't had the greatest go of things since his three-year run with the Minnesota Twins. Maeda's final season with the Twins came during the 2023 season, when he pitched to a 4.23 ERA in 104 1/3 innings pitched. Maeda went from the Twins to the Detroit Tigers on a two-year deal before the 2024 season, but he was quickly cut loose by the Tigers after struggling to open the 2025 season.
After a minor-league run in the Chicago Cubs' organization, Maeda is now joining the New York Yankees on a minor-league deal.
Kenta Maeda has signed a minor league deal with the Yankees pic.twitter.com/ZUGgMWgocD
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 4, 2025
Yankees’ latest pitching swing is a laughable shot at Twins castoff
The Yankees, who released Marcus Stroman last Friday, seemingly are replacing one veteran project with another. Fresh off getting swept by the Miami Marlins over the weekend, we can't say that we had the Yankees turning Maeda into a potential reinforcement.
Maeda had an ERA of 7.88 with the Tigers before being cut loose after just 7 appearances on the season, and the results haven't been much better at the Triple-A level with the Iowa Cubs this season. Maeda had an ERA of 5.97 in 57 1/3 innings pitched with the I-Cubs.
It's not just the ERA that would suggest Maeda has nothing left, but the fact that he was only striking out 18.1 percent of the hitters he has faced at the Triple-A level this season. Add in that Maeda has been losing velocity on his fastball in recent years, and it's not exactly clear what the Yankees see in the veteran pitcher.
One would think that if the Cubs, who have had a need in their starting rotation since Justin Steele underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this season, couldn't warrant bringing Maeda back to the Major League level, no one can.
That said, Stroman had an ERA of 6.23 on the season, so it's not as if Maeda were to have a high bar to clear if he were to reach the Major League level with the Yankees before the end of the season.